Oriental Horrors

The subcontinent is a difficult place to tour as Australia's young team found out in India. So did these Australian teams of the past as they encountered events they would like to quickly forget. (CYCSPL)

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Lose The Game, Save The Match Fee (Nagpur, 2008): Late in the final game of the series, India’s sudden and unexpected collapse gave Australia the chance to win the match and save the series. India were 161-6. What did Ricky Ponting do? He brought on his part-time spinners. It allowed MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh to score match-winning fifties. Why did Ponting do it? He didn’t want to be banned by the match referee for his slow over rate. Never ... more

Lose The Game, Save The Match Fee (Nagpur, 2008): Late in the final game of the series, India’s sudden and unexpected collapse gave Australia the chance to win the match and save the series. India were 161-6. What did Ricky Ponting do? He brought on his part-time spinners. It allowed MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh to score match-winning fifties. Why did Ponting do it? He didn’t want to be banned by the match referee for his slow over rate. Never one to give his opponents an inch, Allan Border told us on air what exactly he thought of the tactic. It was the second tactical upper-hand India had claimed in the game: on Day 3, MS Dhoni’s 8-1 field had choked Australia’s runs dry, leading to a record 320-run and a 2-0 series win. less